


say it ain't so

by humhallelvjahs



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, Post Season 4 Finale, cw for brief mentions of violence, this is mostly angsty and depressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-09 01:39:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11658933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humhallelvjahs/pseuds/humhallelvjahs
Summary: They were sure they would find a way out, some last minute Hail Mary that would put him and Rosa in the clear. However this time, it seems their luck has run out. No matter what they did, Lieutenant Hawkins was miles ahead of them every time. Now, Jake and Rosa will spend the next fifteen years of their lives in prison.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fic i worked on almost two months ago that i haven't touched since i wrote it all in one go. i've re-read it and decided to post it, even though it's approximately the millionth post-season 4 finale fic out there. i'll be posting it in parts, and might rework things as i go. please let me know what you think! any and all feedback is welcome.

His eyes immediately looked for Amy. She sat behind him, in complete shock. How did this happen? They were sure they would find a way out, some last minute Hail Mary that would put him and Rosa in the clear. However this time, it seems their luck has run out. No matter what they did, Lieutenant Hawkins was miles ahead of them every time. Now, Jake and Rosa will spend the next fifteen years of their lives in prison.

Jake and Amy briefly made eye contact, and his eyes desperately searched hers for answers. All that was written on her face was disbelief, and he saw her eyes pooling with tears that she was desperate to keep from falling. His eyes fell to his lap as he realized there was nothing more they could do.

His senses dulled, and as the judge sentenced him to prison, Jake felt as though he was hearing it from miles away. He was jolted out of it when handcuffs were placed on his wrists. Suddenly, the chaos exploded around him.

“Amy,” Jake turned to her, reaching out with his bound hands. Before he could get the words out, she was grabbing his face and kissing him. This kiss was different than any they’d shared before; it was desperate, and scared.

“I love you,” she whispered when they broke apart, the tears finally falling down her cheeks. “I love you so much and we will figure this out. I love you.”

“I love you,” Jake answered, now being led out of the courtroom. He had so much more he needed to say to her, but she was out of his vision far too soon. It was as if the air was plucked from his lungs. So much ahead of him was unknown, and he hadn’t a clue how he would face it without her.

“Peralta,” he heard Rosa’s voice beside him, “You’ve gotta keep it together. They’ll figure this out, okay? We have to trust them.” She was steady, as always, but when Jake looked at her he could see something in her face that indicated she was struggling to believe the words she said. He simply nodded in response.

Jake didn’t speak again for a long time. He had nothing to say. Actually, he had a hell of a lot to say, but saying it now was useless. He told himself that he just needed to keep his head down, and keep to himself. He did this until he was handed a jumpsuit and sent to a cell.

It was strange, being alone. Since he departed the courtroom, there had always been someone with him, escorting him, keeping a suspicious eye on him, taking his personal belongings. He had half a mind to take the photo he keeps of Amy out of his wallet, and sneaking it into his cell so he would have it. That thought quickly vanished when he realized there was nowhere to hide it, and he decided he’d rather it stay tucked in his wallet than ripped away from him by one of the corrections officers.

He didn’t sleep at all that first night. He simply laid on his back, staring at the ceiling and recounting every single event that led to this point. Jake chastised himself for thinking they could take down Hawkins, for getting Rosa involved, for every wrong decision he made. He didn’t stop to remind himself that there was no way he would have known this would happen. He just kept replaying everything and thinking, if only.

Jake’s plan of laying low was shattered just a few days into his sentence, when a particularly nasty perp he’d put away recognized him as “the asshole that arrested me!” Once Jake was recognized by one, he was recognized by all. No matter how much he kept his head down, he was nursing bruised ribs and a swollen lip.

It seemed as though years had passed before he was granted visitation. He ached to see Amy, even just to hear her voice. Every time he got close to the phones, he was beaten out of his allotted calling time. He felt awful for that. She must be livid, or heartbroken, or worried. He’d find out later it was a mix of all three, and more.

When he sat down and saw her face, her first question was, “What happened?”

“Remember the scary guy we put away last year during that huge drug bust?” Amy nodded, and immediately understood.

“Jake…” she tentatively lifted her fingers to the glass, desperately wishing they would go right through and she could touch him.

“Ames, I can’t get near the phones,” his voice cracked as he explained, “I’ve wanted to talk to you so badly, every day, but they don’t let me through. They’re everywhere; once the first guy said who I was, it’s like every one of them in here has something personal against me.”

“Jake, it’s okay, I’m not mad,” Amy tried to smile at him, but he could tell. She had been at least a little upset at the lack of calls, until the second he explained. The worst part was, she had no idea what else to say to him. She didn’t know how to fix this, or make it go away.

“We all miss you,” she said, after a beat of silence, “It’s not the same without you and Rosa.”

“Rosa,” Jake felt as though he hadn’t seen his friend in years when he spoke her name, “Have you talked to her? How is she?”

“She’s holding her own,” Amy replied, “She’s having the same problem, prisoners recognizing her as the one who put them away. She’s been able to intimidate most of them, though, but I can tell she’s not herself.”

“I wish I was like her,” Jake mumbled, “I feel like such a wimp for not standing up to these guys.” He had a lot more to say, and he wanted to tell Amy how he didn’t stand up to them because he knew it’d get him in more trouble, but also because he didn’t see a point because he couldn’t find meaning in anything right now without her. He couldn’t tell her all that though; she would just worry more, and he doesn’t want her to lose sleep (more than she has - he immediately noticed the bags under her eyes).

“I love you,” her voice was soft, and when he raised his hand to meet hers on the glass, he could swear her touch burnt right through it.

“I love you,” he replied, feeling like her voice and presence breathed life into him again.

“How cliche is this?” Jake cracked a joke. For the first time since his sentencing, he cracked a joke. Amy laughed, and it was the most magical thing he’d ever heard.

“We’ll get you out,” she assured him, “All of us at the precinct, we’re working nonstop on this case. Hawkins will not get away with this. I promise.”

He nodded at her, a faint smile on his lips. He believed her, he truly did, but he knew it would be a long process.

“It’s gonna take time,” he chimed in, because he knew she was going to say it anyway. She nodded.

They spent the rest of their time chatting about the nine-nine and the new Thai restaurant Amy’s been getting takeout from. It was almost normal - almost.

“Inmate, time’s up,” suddenly a CO was behind him, and Jake felt dread in the pit of his stomach.

“Amy, I love you so much,” he said, “So much. Please don’t forget that.”

“I couldn’t if I tried,” she answered, “I love you.”

And with that, she was gone, and he was being led back to his cell.


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake encounters an old frenemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been loving all the kudos and comments so far, thank you! this next part is shorter, but i couldn't think of anything to add. enjoy!

Jake decided that if he couldn’t get to the phones, then he would write Amy letters. He didn’t have any envelopes or stamps yet to send them, but he had paper and a pen and he’d be damned if he went a single day without writing to her. There was so much she needed to know, and while he was sure that he and Rosa would be cleared, he always reminded himself to tack a “someday” on the end of that thought, because worst case scenario, he’d be here for fifteen years.

Amy visited him as often as she could, and she frequently brought messages from everyone at the nine-nine. Every time she left, she made sure to remind him that they were not giving up on this case.

Time passed, and the inmates got bored with using Jake as a punching bag - mostly. He still caught the occasional beating, but they were no longer every day occurrences. He also decided to spend his free time working out, partly because he wanted to be able to hold his own in these fights, but also because that’s what all the guys in prison did, according to his favorite movies, when they were looking for vengeance. Of course, his vengeance would be more legal than violent in nature, however he told himself otherwise for the sake of motivation.

Things were getting better - as far as being in prison goes - and one day, Jake heard a familiar voice in the cafeteria.

“Jake Peralta?!”

He braced himself for a new round of beatings from an angry inmate, pissed that the law caught up with him. What he didn’t expect was the person who sat behind him.

“Doug Judy?!”

Jake was stunned when the Pontiac Bandit himself sat beside him, wearing the jumpsuit that signified a new inmate. As relieved as he was to see a familiar face, he was also enraged.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Jake exclaimed, “All the times I couldn’t arrest you, and now you land yourself in prison?! Damn it! Why could I never catch you?”

Doug chuckled in response. “If it makes you feel any better, it was your girl who put me in here.”

“Amy’s the one that caught you?” Jake asked, “Oh my God, if I were there for that I would have proposed on the spot.” He lost himself for a minute picturing Amy arresting the Pontiac Bandit, declaring “this is for Jake” before reading the Miranda Rights. (Doug Judy confirmed that this happened later.)

“Listen man, I’m sorry you ended up in here,” Doug said, “I read all the news about what happened. Did you really rob those banks?”

“No!” Jake answered, “Rosa and I were set up by a dirty cop. We were undercover to try and catch her in the act, but she flipped the script on us and now…”

Doug Judy was dumbfounded. “Damn, dog. And Rosa too? Not my Rosa!”

“Dude,” Jake said, “She’s engaged to someone else. Let it go.”  
Jake continued to be annoyed by the fact that Doug Judy had slipped through his fingers so many times, but he was glad that Amy’s the one that put him away. And he was oddly grateful that Judy ended up in the same prison as him.

“So, who’s who in here?” Doug asked, “Who are we in with, who do we avoid…?”

“Well, I’ve been avoiding everyone because I put away about half of the population in here,” Jake said, “The other half join in on the beatings for fun.”

Doug Judy winced, looking at him sympathetically.

“Well listen man,” he said, “You and I can stick together. You’re not alone anymore in here, alright?”

And Jake and Doug Judy became friends once more.


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> angst. i'm sorry.

Three months, two weeks, and three days. Only fourteen more years and nine months to go, Jake thought to himself. However, today he tried to be less cynical because it was visitation day. Even though Amy came once every week, and has been since his sentence started, the days in between felt endless to Jake. He felt as though he was floating on air.

Which is why is felt as though he fell through the floor when, instead of Amy, Charles sat waiting for him on the other side of the glass.

“Hey buddy,” Charles said, trying to be his normal cheerful self, “How’s it going?”

“Charles, not that I’m not insanely happy to see you,” Jake started, “But is something up with Amy?”

The beat of hesitation and the look on Charles’ face sent Jake’s heart into his throat.

“There was an incident the other day with a perp,” he started, and Jake wanted to scream is she okay, what happened, but he couldn’t make a sound.

“She’s okay,” Charles reassured him, “Mostly minor injuries.”

“Mostly?” Jake interrupted.

“She spent a few nights in the hospital--”

“Hospital?!”

“Jakey, she’s alive, I promise,” Charles was careful not to pause too long, lest Jake completely freak out, “Bruised ribs, black eye, a couple broken fingers. Could’ve been a lot worse.”

“That’s true,” Jake said, a bit calmer now, “But why did she need to spend a few nights in the hospital? Those are the kind of things where they basically give you a band-aid and send you home.”

Charles opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again. Jake could see that he was trying to think up a delicate way to say what he needed to.

“There was...another problem. They needed to keep her for observation because they found...an underlying health issue she’s had for a little while now.”

“Is it serious?” Jake felt himself starting to spiral, but the words wouldn’t stop coming out, “Is she going to be okay? Is she dying? Charles, what is going on?”

“Jake, I’m sorry, but that’s all I know,” he responded calmly, “I talked to Amy, but she didn’t give me a lot of details - none, really. She just made sure that I would come and see you today in her place.”

Jake nodded, understanding, but his heart stayed in his throat the whole next week. He just hoped that he would find her on the other side of that glass next week, doing fine.

The week felt like five years, as it painstakingly dragged on. Jake went back to lying awake at night, staring at his ceiling as he tried to figure out what was going on. If anything, between the two of them, Jake should be the one with health problems. He was always eating candy for every meal and hadn’t touched a vegetable in months before he got locked up. Now, he pretty much had to take what he could get for food.

He tried calling her in the middle of the week (his friendship with Doug Judy helped him fight the other inmates off for access to the phones), but their conversation was short-lived. He could tell there was something troubling in her voice, but she wrote it off as stress about the case.

“Every time we get close, it’s like she knows, and flips everything around,” Amy wearily complained. “As soon as we get a lead, everything about her operation changes and we have to start all over again.”

When he saw Amy on the other side of that glass after the longest week of his life, he was relieved. That is, until he got a closer look. The bags under her eyes were darker, and her eyes themselves were red and swollen, as if she’d been crying. Her black eye was fading, but not gracefully. As she raised her hand to the glass, he saw the cast holding her ring and pinky fingers together.

“Ames…” Jake started, “I’m so glad you’re okay. What did that asshole do to you?”

“This is nothing,” she passed it off with a smile, “But Jake…”

“Charles told me there’s something else wrong,” he replied, worry in every syllable, “What’s going on?”

“Um…” she seemed as though she wasn’t sure how to start, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, she broke down into fractured sobs.

“Amy…” Jake’s heart broke, and he wished he could just smash through the glass so he could hold her, and kiss the tears away.

“Jake, I was pregnant.”

“Was,” Jake repeated the past tense.

“I had no idea,” Amy’s voice cracked heavily, but she kept speaking, “I didn’t even know it, but that perp gave me such a beating, and between that and the stress of everything lately...the doctor said there’s no real way to know why it happened. Sometimes it just happens for no reason.”

Jake stared blankly ahead, trying to process everything. Amy kept speaking.

“I’ve been having such a hard time with this,” she admitted, “I don’t even know how to feel about it. It’s like, how to you take news that you lost something you didn’t even know you had?”

Amy could see Jake’s heart breaking as her words sank in, and she softly called his name to bring him back.

“Jake?”

“Hmm?” he was snapped out of his trance.

“Talk to me.”

“I...I don’t know what to say,” he responded, “Ames...I…”

“It’s okay,” she said through her tears, “I don’t know what to say either.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Does anyone else know?” he finally asked her.

“God, no,” she responded, “Basically just the doctor and nurses that took care of me in the hospital. I didn’t tell another soul, besides you.”

“Okay,” he said, pausing, “I wish I was there with you. When this all happened. I feel awful that I can’t be there for you right now.”

“It’s okay,” Amy repeated the mantra, even though in that moment she struggled to believe it herself. “It’s not your fault. And you will be home soon.”

Jake nodded solemnly, and they just took a minute to look at each other. Before he knew it, a CO was telling him his time was up.

“Ames, I love you so much,” he told her, like he always did, every week. “And...I know you’ll be okay. And I know you’ll get me out.”

“I love you, Jake.”

And another week began.


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what could've been

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short one. sorry about that.

Doug Judy saw a change in Jake, as soon as he returned from his visit.

“How’s your lady?” he asked.

“Some asshole perp beat her up,” Jake responded angrily. “Charles told me last week, but I only just saw her today. She looks like hell.” He muttered “asshole” again under his breath.

“Sounds like you got some pent up aggression you need to let out,” Doug offered. “Gym time?”

Jake nodded once, and they made their way to the weight room.

The monotony of his prison routine was broken one day when Jake received a letter. It took him by surprise, because Amy hadn’t written him back (she said her responses were her weekly visits). It was even more surprising when he saw who it was from.

_Jake -_

_Hope things are okay. Last time I called to check on the case, Charles told me something happened to Amy. I’m sure she’s alright - she is the tough one in your relationship after all._

_Prison sucks.  
Rosa_

It was short and uneventful, but Jake was over the moon. Not that he doubted Rosa would survive in prison, but he’s glad to be reminded that he has a friend going through this with him. He immediately drafted a letter to send back to her. He thought for a second to explain what happened with Amy, but he remembered how she sounded when she said that she hadn’t told anyone else. That was information to be kept between the two of them.

His letter to her was a bit longer, but he was sure she wouldn’t mind. While Rosa wasn’t one for being too wordy herself, she never minded listening to a friend when they had a lot to say. He sealed the letter for Rosa, then started writing one to Amy, saying all the things he couldn’t find the words for earlier that week.

_Ames -_

_I miss you. I know I start every letter like that but I really do. And I love you._

_I’m sorry I didn’t say much last time you were here. I was just so shocked by what happened. I still can’t quite believe it._

_If I’m being honest, I’ve thought about the day that you would use the word “pregnant” in reference to yourself, but I never once considered the possibility of hearing the word “was” before it._

_I’ve spent the last few days thinking about what the kid would’ve been like, if it was a boy or girl, all that kind of stuff. If it would look more like me or you._

_It sucks. Because I’ve realized that the second I knew this kid existed, I loved it so much. It’s cruel that it was taken away from us so quickly._

_I know you might not want to think about it a lot right now, and you’re trying to focus on the case. Promise me you’ll take a day off besides when you come to visit me. You need to take care of yourself. You’ll be able to kick ass with this case twice as hard if you take a little time to yourself._

_I love you. I’ll be home soon, because the best detective ever is working on busting me out of here._

_Jake_

Jake sealed his letter to Amy, and set the two envelopes aside while he laid back on his bunk. He thought about what their life would be like, if he wasn’t in prison right now. He had almost enough in his savings to start shopping for an engagement ring. He was already planning the proposal. And what if Amy hadn’t lost the pregnancy? Would they be shopping for baby clothes right now?  
Jake had to snap himself out of it; he knew from experience that going down the “what if” rabbit hole wasn’t any good for him. Instead, he tried to quiet his thoughts so he could fall asleep. He dreamed of a baby with Amy’s eyes and his curly hair.


	5. five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've made an executive decision to upload the rest of this fic all at once. in the immortal words of jake peralta, "Everyone's binging these days. It's how we consume content."

Six months, three weeks, one day. Jake kept relentless count of his sentence, tracking each day he spent in prison, and how many more laid between him and finally going home.

He’d been exchanging letters with Rosa lately; they were always short, but it was nice to speak about prison stuff. They traded experiences, and made jokes about only serving thirteen years with good behavior. Prison still sucked, but it sucked less knowing he wasn’t totally alone.

Doug Judy got chummy with a few other inmates, and before he knew it, Jake was in a group. He was offered protection from the inmates who wanted to kick his ass, and didn’t have to spend his free time completely alone anymore. They didn’t talk much, at least not about anything serious, but it was a nice way to break up the monotony.

Jake still counted down to the day Amy visited, every week. They had lighthearted conversations about the newest happenings in the precinct, and made sure to say “I love you” at least four times before Amy had to leave.

Today, as he approached the glass, he saw a very excited Amy. He didn’t even get a chance to say hi before she spoke.

“She’s cracking,” Amy said excitedly, “Hawkins is cracking under the pressure. We’re getting too close to her now and she’s getting scared. She slipped up and we think we’re gonna get her soon.”

“Ames, that’s amazing!” Jake said, “Do you think she’d ever talk?”

“Not sure about her,” she replied. “But, some of her guys are getting nervous. We think we can get them to testify against her if we cut them a deal.”

“Amy Santiago, you are an amazing detective/genius.”

“Jake, I promise, we’re gonna get you home soon.” Amy had a new light in her eyes when she said it. This time, “soon” wasn’t someday. This time, soon could be next month, and they both knew it.

“I love you,” they said in unison, and smiled the biggest smiles. In the back of his mind though, Jake reminded himself not to get too optimistic. There was no guarantee, but he allowed himself to feel happy for a moment or two.

That night as he lie in bed, Jake was awake, but for different reasons than normal. He was elated that this time next year, he could be home, with Amy. They could talk about getting married, and having kids, and continue on with their life plan as if this hadn’t happened.

Jake’s days from then on were not fueled by spite or resentment, but hope for the future. He was itching for updates, and every time he called anyone from the nine-nine he asked. They had little more to offer him than “we’re getting close” and “could be any day now, and we can get her”. However, after a few weeks of this news, it was growing frustrating that things weren’t moving forward.

His next few visits with Amy were tense. She could tell he was getting impatient with the lack of information, but she didn’t have anything new to tell him.

“Jake, I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. “It’s slow going. Hawkins has been really careful lately. It’s tough to get her if she’s under the radar.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.

“Trust me,” Amy continued. “I’m doing everything I can. I’ve fallen asleep at my desk almost every day this past week, trying to figure out how to take her down. It’s a tough case.”

“I know,” Jake replied. “I’m sorry. I just...really want to come home.”

“I want that too,” Amy said softly. “Just a little more time.”

Jake placed all his faith in her (which he’s always done anyway) and decided that he was okay - however long it takes. He just keeps his eye on the prize: going back home to her.


	6. six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a short one. also, i grabbed the prison name from a quick google search. i have no idea if anything is accurate.

Eight months, one week, six days. Updates on the case were few and far between, until this week’s visit.

“We brought her in,” Amy announced. “We caught her on a petty offense, but we’re trying to get her to confess to everything. Jake, we’re so close.”

“Ames, that’s amazing,” Jake beamed with pride. “ _You’re_ amazing. Thank you.”

“I told you that we’d always fight for you,” she answered. “As soon as she admits to what happened, we can appeal your sentencing and get you out of here.”

Jake raised his hand to the glass to match up with hers. Once again, he felt as though the heat of her touch could burn right through the glass and into his veins. He looked into her eyes with all the love and hope he’s ever had.

“I love you,” he said, with his voice accented with a thousand emotions.

Their time was up all too soon, and if time had been dragging for Jake before this news, it was basically stopped now. Every day he itched to know more, and it seemed like every day was seventy hours long and he aged a year with every minute that went by. He was anxious to finally get out of his cell, get away from this place, and go back home where he belongs.

With every phone call to the nine-nine, his impatience only grew. Everyone said that she was so close to cracking, but he’d been hearing this for ages now and just wanted it to be over. Three days after Amy’s visit, he called her to check up on things.

_This is a call from Green Haven Correctional Facility. Please press 1 to accept this call._

“Jake, Jake, she talked!” Amy practically screamed into the phone. “She admitted everything. Jake, we can appeal, we can bring you home.”

He heard the tears come with the last phrase she spoke. The hardest part was over. He was still processing the news as Amy talked about Hawkins’ confession, and what they had to do next, and she already had a binder organized on how to go about the appeal, and they could start as early as tomorrow, and --

“Amy, thank you,” Jake finally spoke into the receiver. “Thank you for not giving up on this case.”

“I would never give up on you,” she answered. “I love you.”

“I love you, Ames.” As he spoke the words, Jake was struck with an idea. “Babe, I gotta go, but I’ll see you in a few days. Thank you.”

He heard her smile in her voice as she said goodbye, and while the CO’s back was turned, Jake quickly dialed another number.

“Hey, mom? I need your help with something."


	7. seven

Ten months, three weeks, five days, and there would be no more. Today was Jake’s final day in prison.

“Good for you, man,” Doug Judy had congratulated him when the appeal went through. “You belong out there, not in here.”

“Thanks, man,” Jake replied. “Can’t quite say the same for you though. You are literally a criminal.”

Doug Judy laughed in return, patting Jake on the shoulder. Jake had to genuinely thank his friend, because without him, he’s not sure how he would’ve survived the worst almost-year of his life. He was grateful for the Pontiac Bandit and his familiar face.

Jake received a final letter from Rosa a week prior to his release; her appeal went through a bit quicker and she was already out. Out of habit, he started writing back, but realized he’d be able to talk to her in person soon enough.

On his last day, Jake reflected back on everything that had happened. He no longer blamed himself for the situation, but rather accepted it and cheered Amy on as she led the investigation of the century (at least in his eyes). He thought of their struggles, and then just thought of her. He couldn’t wait to have her in his arms again. 

Jake looked in the grubby mirror in the bathroom after his shower. He realized just how much he’d changed; he was more muscular, and somehow also thinner. He no longer looked gaunt, but rather like a trained athlete. The one thing he was grateful for is that he still looked like himself.

His stomach was doing backflips as he was allowed to change out of the jumpsuit, and was returned all of his personal items. He pulled the photo of Amy out of his wallet immediately, even though he hadn’t forgotten for a second what she looks like. She would be here any moment to pick him up, and he felt like he was about to burst.

Jake strolled outside into the fresh air, just as a familiar car was pulling up. He took in a deep breath before he saw her face. One moment, she was stepping out of the car, and the next, they were in each other's’ arms. It felt like time had stopped, but in the best way. He breathed in her perfume, memorizing each note as it traveled to his nose. They held each other for what felt like ages before breaking apart to face each other.

“Thanks for busting me out,” Jake said with his signature grin. He didn’t realize that Amy was crying until he saw her face. He didn’t realize he was crying until she reached up to brush the tears off his cheeks. She smiled brilliantly at him before enveloping him in a deep kiss.

“Just so you know, I never plan on being away from you for that long ever again,” he said in a brief moment that their lips were parted. “I love you so fucking much.”

She giggled before kissing him again, and again. For the first time in ten months, three weeks, and five days, everything was going to be okay.


	8. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you all have enjoyed this fic! it was a product of me being stunned by the s4 finale, and writing something quickly to get out my emotions. a lot of these chapters were short, and this fic probably could've gone up as one large block, but i did it this way because i felt it would be easier to read. please let me know what you thought of this!

On their way back to Brooklyn, Jake insisted they stop at his mom’s house. Amy obliged, even though she wanted to keep him entirely to herself. He promised it would be a quick stop (except it turned into dinner with four glasses of wine).

As soon as he knocked on the door, his mom was there with open arms. More tears were shed, between all of them, and then it seemed Karen remembered something.

“Oh! Honey, don’t think I forgot,” she said to Jake. “I’ll be right back!”

Amy and Jake took a seat on the couch as Karen rummaged around her bedroom. Amy shot Jake an inquisitive look, but he answered by kissing her with the world’s biggest smile on his face.

“Got it!” Karen’s voice echoed from the hallway, and she practically skipped into the room. She handed Jake a thick looking envelope, then kissed his cheek and whispered “I’m so proud of you” to him.

The reunion with his mom was wonderful, but Amy couldn’t help noticing that Karen got misty eyed when looking at her. On the drive home, she had to ask.

“Jake? Why was your mom looking at me like that?”

“Like what, babe?” Jake’s hand squeezed hers, tracing circles with his thumb.

“I don’t know, she looked almost like she was going to cry.”

“I think she was just very overwhelmed.”

_ Aren’t we all _ , Amy thought fondly as they approached their apartment building. Any further questions she had were squashed as soon as they got to the door and Jake devoured her in a hungry kiss.

Amy and Jake spent the next few days at home, enjoying their time back together. Even though everyone from the precinct knew they’d see him in a few days, some of them couldn’t resist stopping by - namely, Charles.

“Jakey!” he exclaimed, enveloping his friend in a hug. “You’ve gotten so jacked!”

“Well, not much in the way of entertainment there,” Jake quipped. “I need to remember to give them a negative Yelp review for that.”

Amy was in the kitchen, lazily cleaning up from their breakfast, when she noticed that Jake and Charles’ voices got very low. She had half a mind to ask them about the secret, but decided against it. They were allowed their reunion time, too.

“So?” Charles asked in a hushed tone. “What did you end up going with?”

“Mom still had Nana’s ring,” Jake replied. “That was the first stop we made on the way home. Before you freak, I haven’t asked yet. I’m waiting for the right time.”

“Anytime is the right time!” Charles had to keep himself from yelling. “You could do it now and it would be perfect!”

“Patience, buddy,” Jake said. However, he was offering advice that he himself couldn’t really follow.

He’d been home for four days, and already had the urge seven times to pull out the ring and drop to one knee. However, there was one day that the happiness faded a bit.

Amy came through the front door after work one night, and collapsed onto the couch in a mess of sobs. Jake immediately dropped what he was doing in the kitchen and rushed to her.

“Babe, what happened?” he asked softly, scooping her up into his lap.

“That...asshole...was...brought in today.” Her reply was choked by her tears, and her voice barely managed to form the words. Jake was confused for a second, then pieced it together. He just held her, and after a while she calmed down, and spoke again.

“Do you think we’d have a baby right now if it wasn’t for him?” she asked, looking right into Jake’s eyes (and into his soul, he felt like).

“I don’t know,” was his honest answer. There were so many reasons that things happened the way they did.

“The thing is, I don’t even know if I would’ve wanted...I mean, obviously I want kids, but  _ someday, _ not right now...and you would’ve still been in prison when I would’ve given birth and it would be so hard to do that on my own...and who knows if I would’ve been able to crack the case and you might’ve been in there longer and--”

Jake cut her off before she could spiral any further.

“Ames,” he spoke calmly. “I normally hate it when people say this, but things happen for a reason. And I’m beyond pissed at him for laying a finger on you, but we can’t go back in time. I wish we could. I’d do a lot of things differently.”

That last line had too much bitterness for Amy’s taste, and she stroked his cheek and gave him a chaste kiss.

“I know,” she said, a stray tear still running down her cheek. “I’m mostly upset that we lost so much time together. If you weren’t in prison, and we found out…”

Her voice trailed off as they both took a moment to dwell in the “what if”. It wasn’t necessarily doing them any favors, but they needed to indulge for even just a second.

As he held Amy close, Jake stroked her hair and mourned the time and possibilities they had lost. However, he also thought of everything to come, and was struck with joy. They still had so much time, and now he could ensure that they wouldn’t be separated again.

“Ames,” he said, moving her off his lap. “Come on, I want to show you something.” He took her hand and led her into their bedroom. Jake went to look for the envelope his mother gave him, and when he found it, he took a deep breath.

“Amy, I know we lost a lot of time together, but we have so much more ahead of us.” Jake felt more butterflies than he did the first time they kissed, but he took another breath and kept moving forward.

“We have the rest of our lives ahead of us. And I love you so much and I never want to be apart from you like that again.”

Amy started to realize what was happening - she is a detective after all. However, she quelled her nerves and listened intently to Jake.

“This is...my Nana’s ring.” he pulled an antique gold band out of the envelope, decorated simply with a brilliant red ruby. “And, she told me to only give it to the person I want to spend my life with. And...well Ames, that’s you.”

Amy wasn’t sure what to say, mostly because he hadn’t really asked the question yet. She just looked at the ring, and then into his eyes.

“I was going to buy a new ring for you, because I wanted to get you something that was unique for you,” Jake was rambling a bit now, but neither of them seemed to mind. “I’m honestly a little mad at myself because I could’ve bought it the week before court. I had all the money saved and ready to go. But then I decided I’d wait until after everything blew over - I didn’t expect it to take a year to blow over.”

Amy giggled at this, still waiting patiently.

“Amy, I’ve wanted to ask you this for...a very long time now,” Jake said, his grin growing wider by the second. He cleared his throat, and she could tell the question was coming.

“Will you marry me?”

Her answer came in a kiss, followed by a vigorous nod and a few (very happy) tears when they pulled apart. She studied the ring as he slid it onto her finger, and kissed him again (and again) to seal the deal.


End file.
